Toy aeroplane launching devices



Dec. 11, 1956 J. SHERRI TOY AEROPLANE LAUNCHING DEVICES Filed Nov. 9,1953 United States Patent The invention relates to toy aeroplanelaunching apparatus particularly adaptable to toy aircraft carriers.

One object of the invention to provide an attractive and instructionaltoy capable of interesting both children and adults.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an ingenious andefiicient toy aeroplane carrying and launching apparatus which will noteasily get out of order and which can be produced at small cost.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel features of construction, arrangements and combinations of partsset out in the present specification and more particularly pointed outin the claim for novelty following.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toy aircraft carrier having myimproved aircraft launching apparatus incorporated therewith.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, partly broken away.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the variousfigures.

Referring to the drawings 1 indicates generally a toy aircraft carrierthe particular design and arrangement of its equipment not beingmaterial to the present invention so long as it has the usual flat top2.

3 is a trackway on which one or more toy aeroplanes 4 are adapted to bemoved and from which they may be launched in the manner to be describedfully hereinafter.

The trackway 3 may comprise a single straight length or may be curvedaccording to desire so long as at least one of its ends is inclinedupwardly slightly, as shown at 5, to facilitate launching a plane intothe air, and for other important reasons to be more fully explained. Inthe present showing the trackway comprises two straight parallel runs 6and 7 with a connecting loop 8 and having both of its ends inclinedupwardly. While it is not essential to the Working of the invention thatthe receiving end 9 of the trackway be inclined upwardly it is desirablethat it be so formed as a means of preventing the aeroplanes fromslipping backwardly oh the end of the track.

Each toy aeroplane 4 is provided with a downwardly depending flangedrunner 10 adapted to loosely embrace the rail so that the aeroplane canslide freely on the rail, and the bottom of each of said runners istapered upwardly to its front end, as shown at 11, to make it adaptableto the launching device, as will be apparent as the descriptionproceeds.

The flat deck of the carrier is cut through to provide a slot 12 whichextends endwise of the deck at the outer side of track run from whichthe launching takes place from a short distance inward of the launchingend to the extreme end thereof.

13 is a slot in the side of the carrier just below the ice deck andparalleling the slot 12. The slot 13 for a relatively short part of itslength from its inner end is enlarged upwardly in respect to theremainder thereof to provide a bay 14 terminating in a shoulder 15extending at right angles to the slot.

16 indicates generally a spring actuated impeller by means of which aplane resting on the trackway in advance of the impeller is forciblycatapulted along the inclined delivery end of the track and into theair.

The impeller 16 comprises a flat medial body part 17 extending in adirection transversely of and just beneath the deck; a pair of endwiseextending arms 18 and 19 extending upwardly through the slot 12 in thedeck and having fingers 20 and 21 turned outwardly on a horizontal planeinto the path of the flanged runner 10 of a plane on the delivery end ofthe track; and a trigger member 22 consisting of flat handle extendingfrom the end of the body 17 opposed to the end from which the arms 18and 19 extend and projecting through the enlarged part 14 of the slot inthe side of the carrier, so as to be readily grasped by the hand of theperson launching the plane.

The impeller 16 is supported for rotary reciprocation transversely inrespect to the adjacent run of the trackway by means of a pin 23positioned beneath the deck in parallel with the adjacent end of thetrackway and ex-, tending loosely through lugs or flanges 24 whichextend downwardly at opposite sides of the body 17 of the impeller, thesaid pin being of greater length than the slots 12 and 13 and extendingtherebeyond at each end and being supported at its ends in brackets 25suitably fixed to the carrier frame or to some other convenient part.

A coil spring 26 encircles the pin 23 between the rearmost bracket 25and the corresponding side flange 24 and is held in compression by saidmembers when the trigger member 22 is in the enlarged part 14 of theslot 13 and in abutting contact with the shoulder 15, which constitutesa detent to hold the spring to its loaded condition.

In the use of this invention the launching device 16 is brought to itsrearmost position so that the trigger 22 will lie in the upwardlyenlarged part 14 of the slot 13, in which position the spring 26 will bein a state of compression and will force the trigger member 22 againstthe shoulder 15 so that the device is ready for forceful forwardmovement coincident upon the exercise of downward pressure on the saidtrigger to bring it out of register with the shoulder. In the retractedcondition of the launching device the fingers 2t) and 21 will lie behindthe inclined portion 5 of the track.

To launch a plane into the air it is simply necessary to move the saidplane along the track to the position where its runner 10 will liebetween the fingers 20 and 21 with the rearrnost end of the said runnerpreferably abutting the finger 20. Owing to the bottom of the runner ofthe plane being tapered upwardly -to its front end it will be found thatthe plane will readily ride over the rear finger 20 to its positionbetween the fingers. The trigger is then tipped downwardly to bring itout of engagement with the shoulder 15, upon which the spring 26 willact to impel the launching device forwardly and will thus cause theplane to be propelled rapidly up the inclined end of the track and intothe air.

While I have described and shown herein the present preferred means forcarrying out my invention this is capable of variation and modificationwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do notwish to be limited to the precise details of construction as set outherein but wish to avail myself of such variations and modifications ascome within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In apparatus for launching a toy aeroplane from a flanged track, saidtrack being inclined upwardly to one fixed pin positioned on a'lowerplane than, and to one side of, said track and extending parallel tosaid track, an

impeller having a body part movablele'ngthwise of and rotatable on saidpin, a pair of arms connected to said body and extending upwardly at theside of said body adjacent to said track, fingers carried by said armsspaced from each other lengthwise of said impeller and extendinglaterally into the path of said runner and receiving said runnertherebetween when the projectile is; moved manually along said track, acoilspring encircling said pin rearwardly of said impeller body,s'toprneans restraining movement of said spring in a directionrearwardly of said impeller body, a detent, and a handle projectinglaterally from said impeller body at the side thereof removed from saidarms, said handle being engageable with said detent to compress saidcoil spring between said handle and said stop means and on release fromsaid detent freeing said coil spring whereby same will propel saidimpeller forwardly and cause said rearmost finger to forcefully impingethe vertical face of said runner and cause said projectile to beexpelled from said track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,565,437 Greife Dec. 15, 1925 2,029,036 Rottner Jan. 28, 1936 2,289,702Fast July 14, 1942 2,528,723 Hane Nov. 7, 1950

